Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: Freddie Roach Insists Floyd Has Made Pac-Man 'Mad'

Manny Pacquiao is an amicable, inoffensive man who throughout his career has shown nothing but respect for his opponents. But according to the Filipino’s trainer Freddie Roach, there’s something about Floyd Mayweather that has gotten under his fighter’s skin and that will serve as inspiration when these two step into the ring.

The bout scheduled for May 2 is one of the most hotly anticipated fights in the history of the sport, as these two fighters each bid to settle a longstanding score. But Roach thinks that Mayweather’s obsession with minutiae in the build-up will trigger a whirlwind from Manny, per Sky Sports:

"

Sometimes, I cannot help but think he’s mad at this guy.

I can feel when we’re doing the mitts. With the way he hits the mitts, I can see it on how he responds to the things we want him to do. The efforts he has been doing which I didn’t see in his previous similarly important fights.

I've never seen him dislike an opponent in my life, but you know what, he doesn't like this guy. He won't say anything bad about him, but he won't say anything good about him either. I think Mayweather is his perfect opponent.

Manny’s anger could be because everything has to be his (Mayweather's) way. He has a comfort zone, like we couldn’t say anything about the fight until he announced it. He is very very insecure.

"

Chris Hyde/Getty Images

There have been some peculiar permutations put in place ahead of this enormous occasion. As noted in the aforementioned piece, the pair’s scheduled fight in 2009 was called off because of disagreements over pre-fight blood testing, but this time both fighters are undergoing Olympic-style testing in the build-up to the bout, per SuperSport Blitz:

An underpinning anger from Pacquiao will only serve to make this fight more of an exciting spectacle. Detractors have claimed that with both men arguably past their very best, this is a bout that may not live up to the hype, but with Manny likely to come forward and get after his opponent with some extra aggression, it should be thoroughly entertaining.

Bob Canobbio of Compubox told Bleacher Report that the statistics show that this should actually be a more entertaining fight six years on:

For Mayweather, that should potentially suit him down to the ground. The undefeated American is magnificent at soaking up the offensive pressure of an opponent before picking them off on the counter-attack, but there were small signs in his previous bouts against big-hitting Marcos Maidana that Floyd’s previously impenetrable defence may be starting to creak.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Pacquiao certainly thinks so and has revealed that his camp is confident they have sussed out a few ways in which they can hurt the American, per Sky Sports:

"

If it's his defence he'll be relying on, I can say this early that I'm ready to meet him in that department. We've actually been figuring out how we can penetrate the defensive blanket Floyd will throw at me.

I think we already have an idea of what offensive manoeuvres we will utilise. We will be concentrating on finding the flaws in his defence - I think we have discovered a lot.

"

Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Fights between two classy boxers always do plenty to stir excitement based on their fundamental abilities alone, but when there is some underpinning needle in the mix between the two, that makes the occasion all the more fascinating.

It's bizarre to hear Pacquiao harbouring a genuine resentment of anyone, but it's somewhat understandable. He has been unashamed in his willingness to step into the ring with Mayweather, adhering to all of the American’s requests in order to get this one done. If Roach’s words are to be heeded, it seems as though this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that Manny has no intention of missing out on.